Taking control of client communication can make you a sales superstar. Here’s how to communicate more effectively…

When it comes to sales, many business owners are impatient. 

They try to force sales upon their clients, rather than understanding that each client is in a different step in the buyer’s journey. 

Not every message you send to a potential client needs to have a sales pitch. This is especially true at the beginning, when the client has no idea who you are or what you offer.

Because of this, you need a framework for communication. Each message you send should move the client to the next stage of your sales process. 

You’ll take them through a series of “micro yeses” before they commit to the “macro yes” of ultimately choosing to do business with you. To do this, you’re going to need a system for consistent and effective communication.

And with that, here are some tips for systemizing your communication:

1. Stop Spraying Emails Everywhere

How many emails do you send to your list each week? 

Are you consistent with those emails, or do you push out bursts of messages in between periods of silence?

Are your emails strategically planned or haphazard? 

The preferred answer should be obvious to you… 

Remember, email marketing is only as effective as the perceived value of the emails you send. 

Meaningful communication is the key to email marketing success.

Sending out invaluable emails only trains your audience to ignore you.

Send emails of value and keep the frequency consistent.

Looking for more tips to improve your outbound campaigns? Check out this related piece on increasing the response to your cold email outreach.

2. Don’t Ask for the Number Before Buying the Drink

If you walked up to someone in a bar and immediately asked for a date, what would you expect the reaction to be?

In most cases, you’re likely to get rejected. Right?

But what if you walked up to the person and said “Hello” first, then offered to buy them a drink?

Many people would accept it, barring any unexpected circumstances. After all, they’re getting some sort of value with no strings attached.

Now you can introduce yourself and get to know one another before asking this person to take the next step.

The purpose here isn’t to impart dating advice – client communication works the same way.

Why would someone agree to buy from you if they don’t know who you are? 

And even if they’ve heard of you, they might not be willing to set aside the time. They’ll only offer their attention if they’re assured you can provide value.

First offer to “buy the client a drink.” The drink, in this instance, comes in the form of free value (and a low friction commitment) to get the other party interested in what you have to say. 

Only then can you expect the relationship to move towards a sale.

3. Find the Gold

There are many advantages to having an email list of good contacts, but there’s going to be more sand than gold. 

…And you have to put some effort into finding the gold.

That starts when you send out customized emails or DMs to segment the list. The idea is to find the people who are most interested in doing business with you right now, with the present goal of starting the conversation.

For example, a simple: “Are you still interested in working with us to scale ACME Corp this year?” will drive the hottest prospects into a conversation.

Everyone is in different stages in the buying process. Therefore, you have to match your communication to meet your prospects on their own turf. 

Some people may want to learn more about your process. Others are ready to buy.

Are you tired of launching bad digital marketing campaigns that fall flat? Read more about creating an effective marketing campaign (and fixing any mistakes you might have).

4. Stop Doing Things That Make People Ignore You

Salespeople and business owners make a host of mistakes that put people off. Especially obnoxious are manipulative tactics that people can see through instantly.

Let’s take the clickbait titles used by a certain merchant processing company as an example…  

They sent emails with the promise of “important financial matters,” as if it were coming from the recipient’s bank or the IRS. In fact, the company was only offering a discount for opening a merchant account with them.

After a while, people saw what the company was doing and ignored all future messages… Or unsubscribed from the list altogether.

Another offender is the email to a cold prospect that reads like an essay. 

Again, people don’t know much about you at the beginning. This means that they are far less likely to devote a lot of time to reading your email. Make your points more engaging – and to the point – instead of making people dig through a bunch of text. 

You have to earn their attention.

5. Implement the Five Factors That Influence Buyers

According to a benchmark study, five factors get people to contact a company and make an appointment.

The first is a new and fresh perspective related to the client’s problem or business. There’s plenty of noise out there – tell your prospects something they don’t already know.

Speaking of your offer, the next factor is the description of your capabilities. You need to show people what you can do for them, and what unique advantage you offer. 

The study also found that people respond better to a value-packed offer. Focus on how your solution can solve a problem, rather than singing the praises of your offer without any context for how it’d apply to the recipient.

Next, your content should be fully customized to the client’s situation. Everyone thinks they are different… The more specifically your message addresses the prospect, the higher the conversion rate.

The fifth and final factor is to show people the most effective way to solve a problem in a way that frames your offer as the best option. In other words, you state the problem, how to solve it, and coincidentally, your offer is the best option.

Zoom Out of Selling

As you can see, much of your communication shouldn’t have anything to do with sales. If you pitch to a lead who doesn’t know much about your business yet, they’re likely to just ignore you.

…But if you can get the conversation going, leads will be much more open to listening to you. After you have warmed up a lead with your messages, you can then segue into making the sale.

Remember, it all comes down to value and personalization. Do this, and your messaging will be a lot more effective.

Would you care to learn more about systemizing your communication? If so, sign up for your complimentary daily business coaching lessons.